Dear Reader, Hola from Spain! I’m here visiting Simone (my daughter), who’s studying abroad in Granada. Eric and Gabriel will join us tomorrow, but I came early to see Simone and also have a little writing retreat for myself. From our weekend on the coast It’s been a nice respite in many ways, and it's been nice to step outside of the nonstop news cycle of the US. That said, I’m also watching from a distance...the release of the Epstein files (as a sexual abuse survivor, I'm particularly...
18 days ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, Revision is one of the most misunderstood and important parts of the writing process, and this week, in my Poetry of Attention Class, I'm teaching five different methods for revision. So I thought I'd share thoughts about revision with you here, too! The word revision can be thought of as re-vision: how do we both see and re-see? How do we meet our work with awareness and also be open to the possibility of change? How do we know what to keep and what to let go of? These are...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader! The days are getting shorter here in the Northern Hemisphere, and the leaves are turning... This is a season of settling, of letting go, and of coming back to ourselves. Even as our public world spins out of balance, all around us is also beauty, love, pleasure and joy—if we open to it. When I first started teaching, I was surprised to find that one of the biggest challenges many students have is writing joy. Why is writing joy challenging? It’s partly that we turn to writing to...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, One of the things that used to truly baffle me as a writer (and as an activist) was how to stay present. Wasn't it my job as a writer to go back to the past and explore it? Wasn't it my job as a writer and thinker to understand history and to imagine, and be a voice for, what I wanted for the future? How could I do these things and also be present? When I was sitting at my desk writing, was I really being present? I wondered if I even wanted to be present. Was the multi-billion...
5 months ago • 2 min read
Dear Reader, I hope you had a good weekend! I myself am back from a lovely week away with my family. These are unusual times, and I'm writing with two messages. First: If you live in the US and are concerned about the direction this country is going, call the Senate--the Reconciliation Bill is being debated as I write. Call your senators and say you don't want to further fund billionaire tax breaks and ICE while Medicaid and clean energy are being cut! According to Senator Warren, there are...
5 months ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, I hope you're doing well! I want to thank you so very much for the outpouring of support and concern when I shared about my accident. Your messages meant so much to me! The surgery on my wrist went smoothly, and I'm recovering well (and doing my exercises and learning how to navigate with minimal use of my dominant hand). This is my birthday week! It's also roughly the one-year anniversary of the publication of my poetry book, I Say the Sky, and I have two special offerings to...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, How are you doing? The election news is big, and I’ve been taking time to process it. There are many people talking about and analyzing the election results, but I found myself feeling very quiet yesterday. I needed to go inward. I needed to slow down, to be with myself, and listen to my body. I encourage you to do the same. Take your time with your processing. Feel everything that you're feeling. Be gentle with yourself. Remember to breathe. Reach out to friends; hug people;...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
Dear Reader, I spent last week canvassing in Philadelphia. For me, going out and canvassing is an act of love, an act of working for our world, for our country, and for all people in the ways I know best to do at this particular moment. Yesterday, when I got home, I spent some time trying to put my experiences into words and found myself unable to do it very well. Then my daughter, Simone, sent me an article she wrote about her experience canvassing in Michigan this month. I found it captured...
about 1 year ago • 5 min read
Dear Reader, As someone who thinks and writes a lot about the power of our voice, I want to share some resources that can help us use our voices this election season. This is a very important, nail-biting election here in the US. I want to offer resources that will both empower us and keep us centered and at peace within ourselves. I am also going to be hosting a 60-90 minute live Get Out the Vote Letter Writing Zoom Session this coming Friday, October 18th at 12:00 pm ET / 9:00 am PT. This...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read